Neil Dutta, an expert in economics and finance, joins Michael Batnick and Downtown Josh Brown in episode 127 of The Compound and Friends. They discuss the resiliency of the US economy, the Fed's next move, the housing market, politics and the market, when sell side research is most useful, and more! They also explore the potential changes in global markets and the impact on large cap tech companies. Additionally, they delve into social media management, consumer behavior, and the correlation between consumer sentiment and election outcomes.
The resilience of the US economy is evident through continued consumer spending despite increased prices, supported by economic and income growth.
The labor market is rebalancing, leading to positive wage growth and contributing to overall economic growth.
Hard economic data and understanding the broader economic context are more reliable in analyzing economic trends compared to subjective indicators like consumer sentiment.
Despite the increase in prices, consumers have continued to spend and retail sales have exceeded trend levels, indicating a strong US economy. The resilience of consumer spending can be attributed to continued economic growth and nominal income growth, supporting sustained spending. This suggests that consumers are forward-looking in their spending behavior and are not changing their habits unless faced with job loss.
Labor market shows positive wage growth and stable jobless claims
Wage growth has turned positive, benefiting from reduced quit rates and increased labor productivity due to longer job tenures. Although jobless claims remain relatively stable, they are still at low levels, indicating a healthy labor market. This suggests that the labor market is rebalancing, which is supporting wage growth and contributing to overall economic growth.
Indicators like consumer sentiment and leading economic indicators are not reliable measures
Indicators like consumer sentiment and leading economic indicators are often unreliable when it comes to predicting economic trends. These indicators can be subjective and often rely on backward-looking data. Instead, focusing on hard economic data and understanding the broader economic context is more important in analyzing economic trends.
Fed may cut rates despite strong market performance
There is a possibility that the Fed may cut rates despite the stock market's strong performance and other positive economic indicators. This decision would be driven by the cooling inflation, which has been below target levels for the past six months. The Fed's decision will be based on factors such as inflation, labor market conditions, and financial market conditions, not solely influenced by stock market performance.
Economy relies more on income than credit
According to the podcast, the bank loan and leases relative to nominal GDP have been flat since 2016. This indicates that the economy is more income-based than credit-based. Therefore, tightening credit by the Fed may not have as much of an impact on the economy as previously thought.
Consumer sentiment and incumbent vote share correlation
The podcast mentions a chart that shows a correlation between University of Michigan consumer sentiment and the incumbent share of the two-party votes in presidential elections. The chart suggests that if consumer sentiment continues to rise, it may benefit the incumbent. Despite current polls not supporting this, some on Wall Street believe that President Trump has a higher chance of winning.
On episode 127 of The Compound and Friends, Michael Batnick and Downtown Josh Brown are joined by Neil Dutta to discuss: the resiliency of the US economy, the Fed's next move, the housing market, politics and the market, when sell side research is most useful, and much more!
Thanks to Kraneshares for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about the Kraneshares firm outlook for 2024 at: https://kraneshares.com/
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